(Click pictures for full size)
The kids were very excited about being so close to the Gateway Arch, but I was a little nervous about going up. Usually, I can handle just about any rollercoaster and I don't have a fear of heights, but starting the day off with biscuits & gravy and a side of bacon was not helping my stomach at all. It was hard to believe we were going to be on top of this thing in a few minutes:
I really didn't know how the elevator system worked. I didn't get a chance to visit the Arch when I was in STL back in November, but some friends told me it was not a fun ride for the claustrophobic. They weren't kidding. The "pods", as my hubby described them, felt like they were right out of the movie Men in Black: 1960's ultramodern.
Stephen and I were hunched over the whole time, trying not to hit our heads on the top. I feel for the REALLY tall people, who must be very uncomfortable. The pods are made to rotate as you incline, shifting a total of 155ยบ from bottom to top. It was a little freaky. Perhaps the strangest thing was always feeling that you were looking right at the outer "skin" of the arch, and thinking about how a thin piece of metal was the only thing keeping you from the outside air.
Here's my video of our ascent:
And here's Part II, where we investigate the top and the kids give a shout-out to their teachers:
Here are the kids, posing at one corner of the arch.
P.S.: On our way out, I asked Jordan to stop jumping around in the crowded hallway exiting the pods. When she kept doing it, I told her she wouldn't get to play video games in the car for one hour. The man in front of me turned around and congratulated me on my parenting. This event marked the second time in my life I have been told by a total stranger that I was doing a good job as a parent; therefore, it must be true!
